My prediction Espargaro will be out at the end of the year. Smith might be able to save himself if he can turn in a consistent performance from Losail to Valencia. But I'm not convinced he will. Going with Rins and Zarco makes a lot more sense for 2017.

Tech 3 Yamaha boss Herve Poncharal says Alex Rins and Johann Zarco are the riders who are most likely to be considered by the team for a potential 2017 debut in MotoGP.

Zarco and Rins finished 1-2 in the 2015 Moto2 standings, the former in his fourth season in the category and the latter as a rookie.

Factory Yamaha boss Lin Jarvis confirmed earlier this year that Rins was on the Japanese marque's “wish list”, with a 2017 Tech 3 satellite ride appearing a possible option for securing the Spaniard's signature.

However, Poncharal insisted that he would have a say in the team's future roster, telling Motorsport.com: “It's my team and contractually, that decision [on 2017 line-up] will be made by Tech 3.

“Now, I want to do it in a clever way and for us to work in good spirits with Yamaha. As such, the sponsors, Yamaha and I will make the decision together.”

The Tech 3 boss subsequently admitted that Rins was indeed a possibility for 2017, but insisted that so was Zarco – with both riders continuing on in Moto2 this year.

“The top 2014 Moto2 rookie was [Maverick] Vinales and he’s had a super first year in MotoGP. The rookie of the last year was Rins, so we know that he’s set to ride in MotoGP in the short term. Therefore, Honda, Suzuki, Ducati and Yamaha are thinking about it too, obviously.

“But it’s not just Alex Rins, it’s also Johann Zarco. He had a wonderful season, he impressed me because he showed he was not only fast but also clever. He had great races like Barcelona, smart races, quick, but not rushing, striking when it mattered. It is clear that he’s ready.
No others who could graduate in 2017

Poncharal also clarified that he didn't think there are other riders in MotoGP's support classes who would be ready to join the main champoionship in 2017.

“There are not that many really quick youngsters who can graduate to MotoGP as early as 2017 – there is Johann and Alex,” he said.

“Many riders have great potential like [Danny] Kent, [Miguel] Oliveira, [Fabio] Quartararo, but they’re not ready to graduate to MotoGP yet.

“Alex Marquez needs to show that it’s possible, he’s not strong enough yet. [Franco] Morbidelli is an interesting youngster, too, but he’s had highs and lows and got injured, so we don’t know, we shall see. [Jonas] Folger has had many good performances, but they're followed by disappointments every other week.”
“Moral dilemma” over next year

Given Tech 3's status as a Yamaha satellite and a proving ground for young riders, Poncharal hinted that the team might end up having to part ways with Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro, who have spent three and two seasons with the squad respectively, after 2016.

“There are four Yamahas on the grid, those from the official team are assigned with the mission of winning races and taking the title, but that’s not quite our mission,” he explained.

“Our mission is rather testing young riders and evaluating their potential to perhaps lead them – as we did with Ben Spies [in 2010] – to be hired by the works team if there happens to be a free ride.

“By the end of 2016, Bradley and Pol will have competed in respectively four and three seasons with Tech 3. So either they’re very successful and they’re taken on by a works team, be it Yamaha or another one, or they don’t do better than a good season and in that case, what should we do?

“Should we keep them ad vitam aeternam [forever], or – and that’s the tricky part from a human perspective – should we tell them that our job is to look for young riders, not to do five, six, seven years with the same rider? We will be facing a moral dilemma.”

Poncharal added: “I think we’ll have a much better view of the situation around Barcelona or Assen, many things will have happened by then.

“We’re not going to sign our riders straight away, we don’t have that pressure at Tech 3. Let’s wait and see how the start of the season goes before we make a decision.

“I think there will be a domino effect anyway. The best teams and the best drivers are going to settle first. Therefore, the Yamaha, Ducati and Honda works teams have priority.

“Then there’s Suzuki, and when all of that is clear, we’ll think about how to move things forward.”

With Suzuki and Ducati seemingly surpassing Tech 3 in performance, Herve is going to have much stiffer competition for the up and coming talent. Vinales's performance so far in testing has accelerated the thinking of Honda and Yamaha. Honda just might pull the trigger on Pedrosa, replacing him with Vinales with Dani taking his seat at Suzuki. If Rossi won't go away, I could see Rins taking the big factory money from Ducati now that it is not considered a career killer,unless Yamaha wants to guarantee a factory salary while he waits at Tech 3.

With Suzuki and Ducati seemingly surpassing Tech 3 in performance, Herve is going to have much stiffer competition for the up and coming talent. Vinales's performance so far in testing has accelerated the thinking of Honda and Yamaha. Honda just might pull the trigger on Pedrosa, replacing him with Vinales with Dani taking his seat at Suzuki. If Rossi won't go away, I could see Rins taking the big factory money from Ducati now that it is not considered a career killer,unless Yamaha wants to guarantee a factory salary while he waits at Tech 3.

I've been thinking that this may not be so much as Poncharval's desires as it is Yamaha's. Given the uncertainty with Rossi's future, and the fact that they need to start considering succession plans anyway, getting both Rins and Zarco on the Tech 3 bikes would be a wise move for 2017. May as well gauge how they are on the junior Yamaha bikes, and they look towards slotting one in on the factory team for possibly 2018 at the earliest.

I agree that Vinales has probably made Yamaha feel this is now a more pressing issue since if he jumps to HRC next year, that could be the most dominant team on the grid.

I don't see Pedrosa moving to Suzuki. I think he either has a Respsol ride or he retires. We shall see.
Vinales is a hot commodity. I am sure that he will be scouted by every factory ride -Ducati, Yamaha and HRC

The silly season will be in full swing after the first few races this year.
Cheers to a good year.

Just my belief that if Honda cuts him, he could get 2 years at 2-3 million a year on a bike that may just suit his style more so than the Honda does. Now that would be story book, leaves Honda after 10 years and wins a title on the Suzuki.

Just my belief that if Honda cuts him, he could get 2 years at 2-3 million a year on a bike that may just suit his style more so than the Honda does. Now that would be story book, leaves Honda after 10 years and wins a title on the Suzuki.

Hahaha seriously bro?

I see Alex Espargaro moving way for another hot prospect. Though I'll say this, Alex gained lots of respect from me the way he conducted himself at Valencia. Of the field, he was one of few who didn't pull over for Rossi. Unlike say Petrucci who practically committed suicide to get out of VRs way. So I'll be hoping Alex Espargaro ' s job is safe. Thing is his stock is probably going to go down next to Viñalez.

If HRC do shitcan Pedro, I don't see him anywhere near a Yamaha. Maybe, just maybe he could replace Alex while Suzuki try to go for another young hotshot if they lose Viñalez. If Pedro goes to Ducati, he's done.

However all this is based on a poor year which may be unlikely if he can keep up last year's end of season form. Pedrosa has never been much of a crasher, so if he stays healthy, he could be a threat to runner up again. This year I'll be rooting he is responsible for keeping VR off the podium. HOWEVER, as you know, I don't trust Michelin, and seeing they dramatically changed the tire for test 2 of preseason, I think VR will be the guy to beat in 2016. If Marc and Lorenzo aren't careful, they'll be hemorrhaging points chasing the Michelin while Rossi cruises around getting points. I don't know if you saw the averages of the combined tests, but tires were the major factor in fortunes. Rossi was best average while Marquez and Lorenzo were outliers.

HOWEVER, as you know, I don't trust Michelin, and seeing they dramatically changed the tire for test 2 of preseason, I think VR will be the guy to beat in 2016. If Marc and Lorenzo aren't careful, they'll be hemorrhaging points chasing the Michelin while Rossi cruises around getting points. I don't know if you saw the averages of the combined tests, but tires were the major factor in fortunes. Rossi was best average while Marquez and Lorenzo were outliers.

Perhaps.

BUT, what if Italy beat France in this summers Euros and he tries shit like this again?

Yeah, it was Goubert back then. all hypothetical, and there's unlikely to be another similar scenario to the Zidane/Materazzi farce - although with the Azzurri you never quite know. They've drawn Rep.Ireland, Belgium and Sweden.